Asked on Thursday how his government plans to respond to reports of anti-Semitic threats, President Donald Trump declared that he is “the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” told a reporter to be quiet, and accused him of asking a “very insulting question.”

The reporter, Jake Turx of the Jewish publication Ami Magazine, did not accuse Trump of being anti-Semitic — he specifically said otherwise — but Trump acted as if he had, engaging in an attack on the news media and offering no response to the problem Turx outlined.

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“I haven't seen anybody in my community accuse either yourself or anyone on your staff of being anti-Semitic,” Turx told Trump. “However, what we are concerned about, and what we haven't really heard being addressed, is an uptick in anti-Semitism and how the government is planning to take care of it.”

He continued: “There have been reports that 48 bomb threats have been made against Jewish centers all across the country in the last couple of weeks. There are people who are committing anti-Semitic acts or threats —”

“He said he was going to ask a very simple, easy question. And it’s not. Not a simple question, not a fair question,” Trump said, interrupting Turx. “OK, sit down, I understand the rest of your question.”

Before Trump called on Turx mid-news conference, he said he wanted to find a “friendly reporter.” Trump took a range of questions from reporters in the White House on Thursday at what started as an announcement of his new pick for labor secretary and quickly became a meandering speech that frequently took aim at the news media in addition to his critics.

“So here’s the story, folks,” Trump continued in response to Turx. “Number one, I am the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Number two, racism. The least racist person, in fact we did very well, relative to other people running as a Republican…”

“Quiet, quiet, quiet,” Trump said to Turx, after he tried to ask another question. “See, he lied about, he was going to get up and ask be a very straight, simple question. So, you know, welcome to the world of the media.”

“But let me know just tell you something, that I hate the charge,” Trump went on, returning to the question of anti-Semitism. “I find it repulsive. I hate even the question, because people that know me, and you heard the prime minister, you heard Netanyahu yesterday, did you hear him, Bibi? He said, ‘I've known Donald Trump for a long time,' and then he said, 'Forget it.’”

“So you should take that,” Trump concluded, “instead of having to get up and ask a very insulting question like that.”

The exchange quickly lit up Twitter, and by later in the afternoon, the Anti-Defamation League came out with a critical statement describing the president's reaction as "mind-boggling."

"On two separate occasions over the past two days, President Trump has refused to say what he is going to do about rising anti-Semitism or to even condemn it," said ADL's national chair, Marvin Nathan, and CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt. "It is mind-boggling why President Trump prefers to shout down a reporter or brush this off as a political distraction."

"What is the Trump Administration going to do about the recent surge of anti-Semitism? What concrete steps will the White House take to address intolerance?" they demanded. "We are going to keep asking these questions — and urge others in the press and public to do so as well — until we get a clear answer from our President."